HomeMy WebLinkAboutCorrespondence - #29Orozco, Norma
From: keila@ocej.org
Sent: Tuesday, June 01, 2021 3:55 PM
To: eComment
Subject: Make the Deportation Defense Fund Permanent and Increase it to $300,000
City Clerk ,
Dear Mayor Sarmiento and Santa Ana City Council Members,
I urge you to expand the city's Deportation Defense Fund by allocating funding every year at
the level of $300,000 starting in this FY 2021-2022 budget and making the program
Since the establishment of the legal representation fund in 2017, the city has provided critical
legal defense to 46 Santa Ana residents facing detention and deportation. In doing so, the
city has been committed to ensuring the right to due process for immigrants and refugees.
I urge you to continue this commitment to immigrant human rights in the city of Santa Ana by
making this a permanent program and increasing the funding to $300,000 a year.
Thank you.
keila@ocej.org
Orozco, Norma
From: Yvonne Su <finding.yvonne@gmail.coom>
Sent: Tuesday, June 01, 2021 2:59 PM
To: eComment
Subject: Make the Deportation Defense Fund Permanent and Increase it to $300,000
City Clerk ,
Dear Mayor Sarmiento and Santa Ana City Council Members,
I urge you to expand the city's Deportation Defense Fund by allocating funding every year at
the level of $300,000 starting in this FY 2021-2022 budget and making the program
Since the establishment of the legal representation fund in 2017, the city has provided critical
legal defense to 46 Santa Ana residents facing detention and deportation. In doing so, the
city has been committed to ensuring the right to due process for immigrants and refugees.
I urge you to continue this commitment to immigrant human rights in the city of Santa Ana by
making this a permanent program and increasing the funding to $300,000 a year.
Thank you.
Yvonne Su
finding.yvonne@gmail.coom
Tustin, California 92780
Orozco, Norma
From: Niko Le <info@email.actionnetwork.org>
Sent: Tuesday, June 01, 2021 2:41 PM
To: eComment
Subject: Make the Deportation Defense Fund Permanent and Increase it to $300,000
City Clerk ,
Dear Mayor Sarmiento and Santa Ana City Council Members,
I urge you to expand the city's Deportation Defense Fund by allocating funding every year at
the level of $300,000 starting in this FY 2021-2022 budget and making the program
Since the establishment of the legal representation fund in 2017, the city has provided critical
legal defense to 46 Santa Ana residents facing detention and deportation. In doing so, the
city has been committed to ensuring the right to due process for immigrants and refugees.
I urge you to continue this commitment to immigrant human rights in the city of Santa Ana by
making this a permanent program and increasing the funding to $300,000 a year.
Thank you.
Niko Le
Greyhunter7l4@gmaii.com
Santa ana, California 92704
Advancingsocial justice and buddingpower with working-class Vietnamese and
immigrant communities in Orange County.
VGarden Grove, CA 92843 I www.vietrise.ore general@vietrise.org I @vietriseoc
Attn: Mayor Vicente Sarmiento, Mayor Pro Tem David Penaloza, Councilmember Thai
Viet Phan, Councilmember Jessie Lopez, Councilmember Phil Bacerra, Councilmember
Johnathan Ryan Hernandez, Councilmember Nelida Mendoza
Tuesday, June 1, 2021
Santa Ana City Council
20 Civic Center Plaza
Santa Ana, CA 92701
Re: VietRISE Organizational Public Comment - Agenda Item 429
Dear Mayor Sarmiento and Santa Ana Council Members,
On behalf of VietRISE, we urge you to approve funding for a full-time Vietnamese
Community Liaison at the cost of $150,000 in the FY 2021-2022 budget.
VietRISE is a non-profit organization based in Orange County that works to advance social
justice and organize working class Vietnamese and immigrant communities in Orange County
through civic engagement. A large majority of the Vietnamese residents we work with live in
Santa Ana. Over the past three years, we have heard countless stories from Santa Ana's
Vietnamese residents who have expressed feeling like they have been neglected from city
politics and affairs and who often turn to other cities in the county for a sense of community and
government resources. One of the biggest barriers that residents have shared with us in regards to
accessing Santa Ana's city resources is not having materials readily translated in Vietnamese and
not having a city staff member they can comfortably speak to in their language. This has left
many Vietnamese residents feeling disenfranchised, ignored, and not part of the city of Santa
Ana.
Orange County is home to the largest number of Vietnamese people outside of Viet Nam, and
Santa Ana is home to more than 25,000 Vietnamese residents, according to Census data. Not
only is Santa Ana significant to Vietnamese people in terms of population, but it also has
historical and cultural significance for Vietnamese immigrants and refugees in the city and
beyond. The first supermarket owned by a Vietnamese resident after 1975 following the war in
Viet Nam and the mass refugee migration to the U.S. was established in Santa Ana. There are
countless Vietnamese businesses that still operate in Santa Ana and serve its residents, from
Page 1
Advancingsocial justice and buddingpower with working-class Vietnamese and
immigrant communities in Orange County.
VGarden Grove, CA 92843 I www.vietrise.ore general@vietrise.org I @vietriseoc
family -owned Vietnamese restaurants, to temples and places of spiritual significance, to
healthcare services, and more that are enjoyed by all residents in the city. There has been along
history of Vietnamese residents' contributions in and to the city that is often not recognized by
the city. In addition, the absence of culturally and linguistically competent services in the city has
produced a trend where Vietnamese residents will seek support and resources in other cities,
particularly Garden Grove and Westminster.
In 2018, Asian Americans Advancing Justice -LA (AAAJ-LA) sued the city of Santa Ana for
violating the CA Voting Rights Act and disenfranchising Asian American voters through the
city's at -large elections system. As a result, the city re -drew its district lines and established
Ward 1 in the west end of the city to ensure fair political representation in the city council for
Vietnamese and Asian residents who make up over 30% of the ward's population. Following the
newly re -drawn maps, Councilmember Phan became the first Vietnamese American and second
Asian American to ever be elected to the Santa Ana city council in 2020.
Although Vietnamese and Asian American communities have experienced a lack of meaningful
and structural access to the political process in Santa Ana, the opportunity to hire a full-time
Vietnamese Community Liaison offers a concrete way to address the disparities created by the
lack of in -language services and will make local government more accessible to the more than
25,000 Vietnamese residents in the city. A full-time Vietnamese Community Liaison who is
fluent in Vietnamese, who has strong and meaningful connections to local Vietnamese
community organizations and businesses, and who understands the needs and experiences of
Santa Ana's largely immigrant Vietnamese population can be a bridge to fostering meaningful
trust and belonging between the city and its Vietnamese residents.
We strongly urge the Santa Ana City Council to approve funding for a full-time Vietnamese
Community Liaison at the cost of $150,000 in the 2021-2022 Fiscal Year budget. Thank you.
Sincerely,
C6
Tracy La
Executive Director
VietRISE
Page 2
Orozco, Norma
From:Indigo Vu <info@email.actionnetwork.org>
Sent:Tuesday, June 01, 2021 2:21 PM
To:eComment
Subject:Make the Deportation Defense Fund Permanent and Increase it to $300,000
City Clerk ,
Dear Mayor Sarmiento and Santa Ana City Council Members,
I urge you to expand the city’s Deportation Defense Fund by allocating funding every year at
the level of $300,000 starting in this FY 2021-2022 budget and making the program
Since the establishment of the legal representation fund in 2017, the city has provided critical
legal defense to 46 Santa Ana residents facing detention and deportation. In doing so, the
city has been committed to ensuring the right to due process for immigrants and refugees.
I urge you to continue this commitment to immigrant human rights in the city of Santa Ana by
making this a permanent program and increasing the funding to $300,000 a year.
Thank you.
Indigo Vu
indigo.vu@gmail.com
Santa Ana, California 92704
1
Orozco, Norma
From:Maricela Castro <info@email.actionnetwork.org>
Sent:Tuesday, June 01, 2021 2:16 PM
To:eComment
Subject:Make the Deportation Defense Fund Permanent and Increase it to $300,000
City Clerk ,
Dear Mayor Sarmiento and Santa Ana City Council Members,
I urge you to expand the city’s Deportation Defense Fund by allocating funding every year at
the level of $300,000 starting in this FY 2021-2022 budget and making the program
Since the establishment of the legal representation fund in 2017, the city has provided critical
legal defense to 46 Santa Ana residents facing detention and deportation. In doing so, the
city has been committed to ensuring the right to due process for immigrants and refugees.
I urge you to continue this commitment to immigrant human rights in the city of Santa Ana by
making this a permanent program and increasing the funding to $300,000 a year.
Thank you.
Maricela Castro
maricela7720@gmail.com
Santa Ana, California 92701
2
Orozco, Norma
From: Jenny Rios <JennyRios@delhicenter.org>
Sent: Tuesday, June 01, 2021 1:44 PM
To: eComment
Subject: Item #29 Public Hearing to Consider an Ordinance to Adopt the Fiscal Year 2021-22
City Budget
Attachments: Delhi Center Letter to City Manager.pdf, CalEnviroScreen.pdf
Dear Honorable Mayor and City Council
My name is Jenny Rios, a resident of Santa Ana for the past 24 years and the CEO of Delhi Center. I would like
to call your attention to the attached letter and supporting documentation our Board President, Juanita Preciado-
Hernandez, emailed to City Manager, Kristine Ridge, with a copy to the Mayor and Council, on May 14, 2021
where she expressed Delhi Center's request for financial support from the City of Santa Ana.
Ms. Ridge was very prompt in responding to our letter and we met with her a couple of weeks ago. We
provided her with more detailed information about Delhi Center and our request, and she was very supportive of
our mission. As you may be aware, Delhi Center has served the community for over 50 years. During the
pandemic we responded by providing programs virtually and by doubling our delivery of essential services,
such as the distribution via drive -through pick up and door step delivery of food, PPE, and baby diapers, and
connecting residents to emergency resources.
The pandemic has taken a toll on our financial stability and we are in need of one-time and annual financial
support, detailed in the letter, in order for us to reach a higher level of sustainability that will allow us to better
serve the community.
We hope that you will agree with us that a partnership between the City of Santa Ana and Delhi Center will
promote social and environmental justice in Santa Ana, specifically in the Delhi neighborhood and will be a
mutually beneficial investment that will result in a healthier and more prosperous Santa Ana for all.
Thank you for your service and commitment to the residents of Santa Ana and for your consideration of our
request.
Jenny Rios, CEO
Delhi Center
505 E. Central Ave.
Santa Ana, CA 92707
iennvriosl@del hicenter.ore
714-791-1185
Ifial
DELHICENTER
Building Health and Wealth
505 East Central Avenue
Santa Ana, CA 92707
(714)481-9600
www.delhicenter.org
May 13, 2021
Kristine Ridge
City Manager
City of Santa Ana
20 Civic Center Plaza
Santa Ana, CA 82701
Dear Ms. Ridge:
On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Delhi Center, I would like to take this opportunity to express
our appreciation for your leadership during the most difficult time our city has ever experienced.
Delhi Center was incorporated as a non-profit 501(c)3 charitable organization in 1969 and has
experienced many transitions throughout the years while steadfastly serving the residents of Santa Ana
with programs and services that improve their quality of life. Delhi Center had its start in two WWII
era Quonset huts and achieved an historic milestone when it constructed the largest community center
of its kind in Santa Ana. With the support of city and elected officials, community leaders, residents,
and private sponsors, the Delhi Center opened its doors at its current location at 505 E. Central Ave. on
December 17, 2001.
The Delhi neighborhood has historically been burdened by health risks caused by land use patterns,
development, and other factors, which are clearly demonstrated by the mapping tool from the
Environmental Protection Agency that identifies the most vulnerable and disadvantaged areas in Santa
Ana. The Cal Enviro Screen (attached) measures 20 different factors detrimental to quality of life. The
combined impact of these 20 indicators, form the basis for ranking census tracts by level of pollution,
socioeconomics, and health burdens. Census tracts ranked in the top 25% in total scoring are
considered a Disadvantaged or Environmental Justice Community. The Delhi neighborhood is in the
red zone, the highest level of disadvantage with a ranking between 91% to 100%.
The City of Santa Ana is to be commended for its efforts to seek to correct inequitable conditions in
our city by reducing pollution and increasing public investments in Environmental Justice
communities. We have encouraged our residents and program participants to engage in the city's
efforts to secure community input in the public decision -making process to prioritize improvements
and programs in disadvantaged communities. The residents we serve have expressed to us their
priorities of improving public facilities, including the Delhi Center, which we believe can play a
significant role in improving the health and wellness and socioeconomic status of residents.
Delhi Center serves approximately 31,000 individuals per year, including over 600 weekly classroom
students, over 6,000 program participants, 4,250 through resource fairs and holiday activities, and over
21,000 guests who rent our facility for public and private events. We serve low-income residents with
large households, including 52% with an annual household income under $25,000, 64% of households
with five or more individuals, and 25% of children living with only one parent or grandparent.
Delhi Center provides services through a robust network of partner organizations that form a strong
collaborative, including government agencies, educational institutions, and private and nonprofit
organizations, that uses the expertise of each organization to leverage resources for stronger results.
We believe it takes collaborative approaches by leaders rooted in the communities they serve to come
together to invest in new ways to do business to shift conditions for the long-term.
At Delhi Center, we offer a variety of cultural arts, martial arts, and educational classes through partner
organizations. Our Family Economic Success Initiative (FES), is a collaborative case management
strategy to help low-income families fill vocational, educational, financial, and related legal service
gaps, so they can make better decisions to earn more, keep more of what they earn, and move up the
economic ladder. Our Teens Engaged in Learning and Leadership (TELL) Program trains teens to
define and pursue goals for the future, perform meaningful work in the community, and design and
implement educational activities that help younger children build resiliency.
Of course, during the pandemic, our programs and services have been offered virtually, with the
exception of our food distribution activities. Prior to the pandemic, we conducted a senior pantry twice
a month to about 100 seniors. Since March of last year, we doubled our food distribution efforts
because of the great need and we currently distribute over 400 boxes of food weekly, serving over 250
residents, including seniors and families. We provide shelf -stable food and fresh products, baby
diapers, masks, and other essentials via drive through pick up and door -step delivery.
Throughout the years, Delhi Center has struggled to maintain a fully functional and aesthetically
pleasing facility. In 2018, our Board of Directors began a strategic planning process aimed at long-
term fiscal sustainability. Delhi Center had recently undergone a significant transformation resulting in
an improved organizational structure, the adoption of sound fiscal and operational policies and
procedures, and a focused and committed Board of Directors. We were at a precipice, ready to take
Delhi Center to the next level of productivity. Then the pandemic hit, and we were thrust into survival
mode, which made us realize that we cannot thrive alone.
Delhi Center has a unique relationship with the City of Santa Ana, whereby the organization owns the
building and the city owns the land with rights to reclaim the building if Delhi Center fails or upon
termination of the lease, which expires on September 5, 2024. The Center is responsible for all facility
costs, and we are at the point where the facility requires significant repairs and upgrades to allow us to
continue to meet the needs of the community and to serve it well. Delhi Center has consistently
partnered with the City of Santa Ana and has made the center available at no cost to different City
departments for meetings, community forums, and program delivery throughout the years.
We would like to expand our partnership and explore a financial relationship between the City of Santa
Ana and Delhi Center. We seek both one-time funding and regular, annual funding to support our
infrastructure and operations. Our one-time funding needs total approximately $350,000, which would
cover the cost of major improvements such as IT infrastructure, system repairs and replacements
(HVAC, electrical, plumbing, roof, etc.), lighting and signage, and energy savings. Additional one-
time funding needs include computers to provide improved work capabilities for staff, aesthetic
improvements, furniture and equipment replacements for enhanced program capability, and security
improvements.
Our on -going annual funding needs are related to our operations, including facility maintenance as
well as organizational leadership. Approximately $150,000 is needed on an annual basis for safety
compliance, utilities, deferred maintenance management, and pest mitigation. Additionally, about
$175,000 is needed annually to employ an experienced CEO, which would provide Delhi Center with
high level leadership to continue to focus on long-term fiscal stability, board development, increased
fundraising capabilities, and expansion of our social enterprise efforts. By building a financial
relationship with the City of Santa Ana we could work together to address the inequities created by
pollution, socioeconomic distress, health burdens, and all the other factors that have historically
impacted the area. New, reliable funding opportunities would allow Delhi Center to establish the
foundation needed for long term sustainability.
The pandemic highlighted the need for dependable unrestricted funding sources and a new partnership
with the City that is mutually beneficial. We believe the City has at its disposal several one-time use
funds as well as ongoing revenue sources that could possibly be used to meet our funding needs,
including but not limited to the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, Measure X, and the Public
Benefit Fund provided by the cannabis industry. As a side note, there are 12-14 cannabis retailers
within a one -mile radius of Delhi Center, further demonstrating social and environmental justice
impacts to the Delhi community.
We hope this request for a financial partnership is timely, both in terms of the planning process of the
ARPA funds and the 2021-22 budget cycle. Our desire is to effectuate a new partnership by the end of
the year. As such, we would like to invite you to meet with our administrative and board leadership at
the Delhi Center so that we can demonstrate the wonderful resource that the center provides and to
discuss opportunities for working together to address our community's Environmental Justice issues.
I would like to request that you contact our CEO, Jenny Rios to provide her with available times for a
meeting within the next week or so. Jenny can be reached at iennyriosnn delhicenter.ora or by phone at
714-791-1185.
We look forward to meeting with you and crafting a new and expanded partnership that best serves the
City and most importantly, our most vulnerable community. Thank you for your time and
consideration.
Sincerely,
j ax,Itai Ar eruu�rr-t leNna+�r�ez
Juanita Preciado-Hernandez, President
Delhi Center Board of Directors
505 E. Central Ave.
Santa Ana, CA 82707
juanitapirec@yahoo.com
714-321-5633
cc: Mayor and City Council
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Orozco, Norma
From: Maricela Baltazar <info@email.actionnetwork.org>
Sent: Tuesday, June 01, 2021 12:40 PM
To: eComment
Subject: Make the Deportation Defense Fund Permanent and Increase it to $300,000
City Clerk ,
Dear Mayor Sarmiento and Santa Ana City Council Members,
I urge you to expand the city's Deportation Defense Fund by allocating funding every year at
the level of $300,000 starting in this FY 2021-2022 budget and making the program
Since the establishment of the legal representation fund in 2017, the city has provided critical
legal defense to 46 Santa Ana residents facing detention and deportation. In doing so, the
city has been committed to ensuring the right to due process for immigrants and refugees.
I urge you to continue this commitment to immigrant human rights in the city of Santa Ana by
making this a permanent program and increasing the funding to $300,000 a year.
Thank you.
Maricela Baltazar
chapinah23@yahoo.com
Temecula, California 92591
Orozco, Norma
From: Sylvia Pham <info@email.actionnetwork.org>
Sent: Tuesday, June 01, 2021 1:23 PM
To: eComment
Subject: Make the Deportation Defense Fund Permanent and Increase it to $300,000
City Clerk ,
Dear Mayor Sarmiento and Santa Ana City Council Members,
I urge you to expand the city's Deportation Defense Fund by allocating funding every year at
the level of $300,000 starting in this FY 2021-2022 budget and making the program
Since the establishment of the legal representation fund in 2017, the city has provided critical
legal defense to 46 Santa Ana residents facing detention and deportation. In doing so, the
city has been committed to ensuring the right to due process for immigrants and refugees.
I urge you to continue this commitment to immigrant human rights in the city of Santa Ana by
making this a permanent program and increasing the funding to $300,000 a year.
Thank you.
Sylvia Pham
sylviapham@gmail.com
Santa Ana, California 92701
Orozco, Norma
From:
Vanessa Gonzalez <lasvanetas@ail.com>
Sent:
Tuesday, June 01, 2021 1:26 PM
To:
eComment
Subject:
PLEASE Make the Deportation Defense Fund Permanent and Increase it to $300,000
City Clerk ,
Dear Mayor Sarmiento and Santa Ana City Council Members,
I urge you to expand the city's Deportation Defense Fund by allocating funding every year at
the level of $300,000 starting in this FY 2021-2022 budget and making the program
Since the establishment of the legal representation fund in 2017, the city has provided critical
legal defense to 46 Santa Ana residents facing detention and deportation. In doing so, the
city has been committed to ensuring the right to due process for immigrants and refugees.
I urge you to continue this commitment to immigrant human rights in the city of Santa Ana by
making this a permanent program and increasing the funding to $300,000 a year.
Thank you.
Vanessa Gonzalez
lasvanetas@ail.com
Los Angeles, California 90006
Orozco, Norma
From: Greg Camphire <gcamphire@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, June 01, 2021 1:36 PM
To: eComment
Subject: Agenda item 29: 2021-22 City Budget & the Revive Santa Ana Spending Priorities
Hello,
I would like to provide the following public comment in response to today's City Council Meeting regarding the
Fiscal Year 2021-22 City Budget.
In terms of spending priorities, I believe that Santa Ana needs to reorient it's budget towards a model that
defunds the police in order to refund the people.
Historically, an over -funded and under -trained SA 'D has received the largest portion of city revenues. From
2014 to 2020, spending on police has increased exponentially by over $24,742,900, a 23.1% increase over the
past 6 years. These millions do not exclude the additional $25 million wage increase and the $21 million from
Measure X to hire additional officers. At the same time, our police department is one of the deadliest in the
country, with 27 shootings per 324,568 residents. Officer misconduct records have been hidden from the public,
while millions of our tax dollars have been spent to settle cases related to police misconduct, brutality, and
murder.
This council has a responsibility to put residents first. We are calling on Santa Ana City leaders to break from
this ineffective and unequal prioritization of policing in city budgets, and invest in Santa Ana residents. This
should include education, employment training, and after -school programs; parks, community gardens, and
other green spaces; investments in renewable technologies that help mitigate pollution and climate change;
mental health services; rent control and affordable housing; immigration and refugee assistance; healthy food
access; and other social services.
The safest communities are not the ones with the most police, but the ones with the most resources.
Thank you,
Greg Camphire
92701
Orozco, Norma
From: Katrina Tran <info@email.actionnetwork.org>
Sent: Tuesday, June 01, 2021 12:25 PM
To: eComment
Subject: Make the Deportation Defense Fund Permanent and Increase it to $300,000
City Clerk ,
Dear Mayor Sarmiento and Santa Ana City Council Members,
I urge you to expand the city's Deportation Defense Fund by allocating funding every year at
the level of $300,000 starting in this FY 2021-2022 budget and making the program
Since the establishment of the legal representation fund in 2017, the city has provided critical
legal defense to 46 Santa Ana residents facing detention and deportation. In doing so, the
city has been committed to ensuring the right to due process for immigrants and refugees.
I urge you to continue this commitment to immigrant human rights in the city of Santa Ana by
making this a permanent program and increasing the funding to $300,000 a year.
Thank you.
Katrina Tran
kiftymeowchanl2@gmaii.com
Westminster, California 92683
Orozco, Norma
From: Victor D Mendez <vicdmendez@gmail.com>
Sent: Saturday, May 29, 2021 5:53 PM
To: Sarmiento, Vicente; Thai, Minh; Bacerra, Phil; Hernandez, Johnathan
Cc: eComment
Subject: Funding for Vietnamese Community Relations position
I wish to convey my support for budgeting and funding the proposed Vietnamese Community Relations position.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are natural values of the City of Santa Ana. The funding of the proposed position is a
reflection of those values and of our shared commitment to each other.
Although unintentional, there are simply gaps and omissions between City Government and the Vietnamese
Community. For example, a recent text I received from the City had only English and Spanish content.
Additionally, many governments and businesses are placing strategic priority on DEI. Recently, the OCFA hired a DEI
Coordinator.
A few months ago, I spoke to the funding of the City attorney as a budgeted FTE. This position item has been budgeted
for 15 fiscal years: hence, the proposed position can be funded by simple reconciliation.
Thank you for your consideration of my comments to this issue of great concern.
VICTOR D MENDEZ
316 West 4th St #207
Santa Ana, CA 92701
Dear Mayor Sarmiento and City Councilmembers,
We are Arts and Culture Commissioners MacNair, Russell, and Vu on behalf of the entire Arts and Culture
Commission.
As you make the final adjustments to the city's general budget, we urge you to invest in the burgeoning
creative economy of Santa Ana as a vehicle for spurring strong economic development and for
revitalizing the sense of community among the residents of our beloved "golden" city.
Santa Ana's creative economy is not to be neglected in our work to rebuild post -pandemic. The Arts and
Cultural Master Plan (2016) outlines what a powerful driver the creative economy is for the City of Santa
Ana in contrast with other municipalities. Jobs in this sector, for instance, currently represent a higher
percentage than other large cities across the United States. This economy spans employment and
business in fashion, digital creation, media arts, music, culinary arts, theater, architecture, painting,
literary arts, education, and more.
It is important to also note that our city has much of the needed infrastructure and resources already in
place to grow the creative economy further, in contrast with other neighboring municipalities in
competition for these jobs. We have pipelines and pathways already in place, addressing our very
youngest residents to our seniors. As such, it is a smart focus for investment to
expand/strengthen/reinforce this growing economic engine in order to bolster employment and future
business opportunities.
City
Census
Bureau
Population
(2013
Estimate)
Total Number
of Businesses
(Jan 2015)
Total Number
of Jobs (Jan
2015)
Arts
Total
Arts -Related
Businesses
(Jan 2015)
-Related Businesses
Arts -Related Percentage of
Businesses All Businesses
her 1,000 that are
Residents Arts -Related
Total
Arts -Related
Jobs(Jan
2015)
Arts -Related Jobs
Arts -Related Percentage of
Jobs Per 1,000 All Jobs that
Residents are
Arts -Related
us
3.90%
2.9M
1.90%
Laredo, TX
248,142
10,147
85,444
211
0.85 2.08%
1,711
6.90 2.00%
Santa Ana, CA
334,227
14,394
165,524
528
1.58 3.67%
3,442
10.30 2.08%
Riverside, CA
316,619
14,289
142,200
460
1.45 3.22%
1,369
4.32 0.96%
Anaheim, CA
345,012
18,020
164,313
706
2.05 3.92%
3,246
9.41 1.98%
Long Beach, CA
469,428
20,114
172,421
967
2.06 4.81%
3,565
7.59 2.07%
Portland, OR
609,456
49,441
431,678
3,438
5.64 6.95%
15,590
25.58 3.61%
San lose, CA
998,537
47,131
391,623
2,024
2.03 4.29%
6,579
6.59 1.68%
San Antonio,
TX
1,409,019
69,341
655,811
2,929
2.08 4.22%
11,669
8.28 1.78%
Table 1: A table compiled of workforce data from Americans for the Arts and Dun and Bradstreet, adapted from the
Santa Ana Arts Future: Community Arts and Cultural Master Plan 2016.
Our community has suffered because of the absence of the arts during the novel Coronavirus pandemic
and shutdown. Our first responders have helped to save lives; our artists, as second responders, are
needed in the healing process. The Arts and Culture Commission recommends two considerations for
funding: (1) funding to kickstart the arts community through funding streams from the American Rescue
Plan Act (2) sustainable, ongoing funding from the Santa Ana General Budget not tied to grants and
short-term funding streams. We propose the following two areas of investment and recommended
funding sources. The ACC Master Plan already has designated a 2% from CIP city projects for public art
which needs city council approval to enact.
AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT (ARPA)
$1,000,000
Arts & Economic Prosperity Study
$9,000
G ra nt for Recovery Program
$500,000
Arts for Homelessness
$100,000
Youth Programming
$100,000
Neighborhood Arts Program
$200,000
Mural Restoration
$40,000
Cultural Events
$51,000
GENERAL BUDGET (Ongoing)
$275,000
Grant Program
$175,000
Arts Education Programming
$100,000
FUNDING SOURCES
Cannabis
Initiative 8.1.1: Adopt a two percent for art ordinance or policy for all City CIP
projects (from ACC Master Plan (2016))
Table 2: A breakdown of proposed arts investments.
"Arte cura" is uttered often by the artists and arts advocates here in Santa Ana. That is because the arts
are also an incredible vehicle for connecting people and inspiring those who feel isolated or
discouraged —as many of us have experienced in unprecedented ways during this pandemic. Investing in
the arts is an investment in our economy, and it is also an investment in our people. It is an investment in
avenues to connect Santa Ana residents to each other, to motivate them to imagine new futures for
themselves, and to make and participate in an array of beautiful things —music, murals, crafts, projects,
plays, dances, festivals, and relationships, to name a few —together that will enhance our communities
and build artistic literacies in our residents that fuel the economic aspect of the arts and culture.
As representatives of your Arts & Culture Commission, we will uphold our sworn oath to carry out the
tennants set forth in the arts and culture master plan to support and sustain the creative economy and
artistic endeavors as a dynamic and highly visible aspect of the city with the potential to attract visitors,
tourism, and economic trade as a regional arts destination.
As a city that prides itself so heavily on its rich arts and cultures, it is essential that Santa Ana keeps its
residents'values in mind when considering funding. We urge you to be the leaders of Santa Ana who are
brave enough to see these dual opportunities to advance economic prosperity and to build stronger
community bonds post -pandemic and leverage the arts and creative economy sectors as a vital
economic engine for the city. And, more importantly, we urge you to be the leaders who take action on
behalf of your communities.
Respectfully,
On behalf of the entire Arts & Culture Commission
Commissioner Indigo Vu,
Commissioner Debra Russell, &
Commissioner Robyn MacNair
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THIRTY-FOURTH SENATE DISTRICT
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June 1. 2021
The Honorable Vincente Sarmiento and Council
22 Civic Center Plaza,
Santa Ana, CA 92701
To Mayor Sarmiento and Members of the Council,
JUDICIARY
CH IR
HOUSING
TRANSPORTATION
MILITARY 4 VETERAN AFFAIRS
GROWING IMPACT OF ARTIFICIAL
INTELLIGENCE IN GNJFORNIA
JOINT SELECT COMMITTEE ON
THE 2 O US CENSUS
AEROSPACE AND DEFENSE
ASIAN PCIFIC ISLPNDEA AFFAIRS
MANUFACTURED MORE COMMUNITIES
JOINTCOMMI EES
SULFE
I write to support the following council meeting item to be agenized for your City Council
Meeting on June 1, 2021.
4. Include funding for a Vietnamese Community Liaison. A part-time position has an
estimated cost of $60, 000, and a full-time position has an estimated cost of $150, 000. If
funding is included, staff will create the job classification and return to the City Council for
final approval prior to conducting recruitment.
Santa Ana was the birthplace of Little Saigon, the largest community of Vietnamese people
outside of Vietnam. As of the 2010 Census, Santa Ana serves over 35,000 Asian residents, more than
25,000 of whom are of Vietnamese descent. Like the City of Santa Ana, the Senate District I
represent also encompasses a large population of Vietnamese descent. In my office, we have Field
Representative positions that primarily oversee and liaise with the Vietnamese community. Their
work has been invaluable to keeping us informed of important community concerns, events, and
culture. Subsequently, they helped us build a strong relationship with the Vietnamese community
members, organizations, and institutions to better serve all residents.
The budget allocation of $210,000 for a part-time and full-time position, whose salary and
benefits commensurate with experience, will allow the City of Santa Ana to recruit ideal candidates
capable of translation services and have trusted relationships with the broad landscape of
Vietnamese -language media and the Vietnamese business community.
I understand and have witnessed how valuable having Vietnamese -speaking staff as liaisons
are to my office and my District. Therefore, I commend the Mayor and Members of the City Council
for agenizing this item and fully support the City's budget ordinance and recruitment for a
Vietnamese Community Liaison.
Sincerely,
Thomas J. Umberg
State Senate, District 34
Orozco, Norma
From: Bruce Dinh <info@email.actionnetwork.org>
Sent: Monday, May 31, 2021 7:13 PM
To: eComment
Subject: Make the Deportation Defense Fund Permanent and Increase it to $300,000
City Clerk ,
Dear Mayor Sarmiento and Santa Ana City Council Members,
I urge you to expand the city's Deportation Defense Fund by allocating funding every year at
the level of $300,000 starting in this FY 2021-2022 budget and making the program
Since the establishment of the legal representation fund in 2017, the city has provided critical
legal defense to 46 Santa Ana residents facing detention and deportation. In doing so, the
city has been committed to ensuring the right to due process for immigrants and refugees.
I urge you to continue this commitment to immigrant human rights in the city of Santa Ana by
making this a permanent program and increasing the funding to $300,000 a year.
Thank you.
Bruce Dinh
bdl2l898@yahoo.com
Garden Grove, California 92841
Orozco, Norma
From: Tristan Miller-Mansey <tristan@mansey.com>
Sent: Saturday, May 29, 2021 12:49 PM
To: eComment
Subject: Support for Agenda Item 29
Dear Santa Ana City Council and Staff,
I fully support agenda item 29 introduced by Thai Viet Phan to allocate staff to allocate a full-time position to
engage with our Asian American community - especially the Vietnamese community. It is so important to
represent and liaison with our communities for the welfare and support of our citizens and having materials
translated so our community has access to resources and information.
Thank you!
Tristan Miller
Ward 3 Santa Ana Resident
The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain
CONFIDENTIAL material.
If you receive this material/information in error, please contact the sender and delete or destroy
the material/information.
Orozco, Norma
From: timrush@bhhscaprops.com
Sent: Thursday, May 27, 2021 3:12 PM
To: eComment
Cc: Ridge, Kristine; Mendoza, Steven; Valentin, David; 'Irma Jauregui'
Subject: Front Page story in Wall Street Journal today "Cities Reverse Police Defunding Amid
Rising Crime"
Presume you all have access electronically to the WSJ......... take time to read this informative article addressing an issue
of great importance to us all. In city after city including Milwaukee, WI, LA, NYC, Baltimore etc. much if not all of the
cuts have been restored amid dramatic rises in crime. The answer is MORE training and more Police Officers not
less. The other evening I made a call and it took three hours to get a patrolman out ....... and the summer hasn't even
started.
Have a pleasant holiday weekend.
Tim Rush, Wilshire Square
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties
13926 Seal Beach Boulevard
Seal Beach, CA 90740
(714)299-4455
California Properties